Rated 5 / 5 stars2012-05-18 14:04:51

Rated 4.5 / 5 stars2012-05-26 18:58:28

Pretty badass track you have here! I can tell you had a lot of fun with the sound design, and as usual you've created a pretty awesome soundscape with interesting sound effects and synths to really spice this up. I won't be able to be make nearly as much of a creatively-written review as KKSlider60 because I'm not nearly as much of an ambient nerd, but I sure as hell will try :3.

First and foremost I suppose I really can't review this without mentioning the sounds you've played around with. I love the sidechaining you did on that pad and the bass slides, especially the bass slides. You positioned the instances of them pretty cleverly around the track which made for some pretty interesting bass slides. The reverse effects like the one at about 2:57 sound awesome too.

The pitched snare delay is a little silly, true, but it actually works better than one might think. I've honestly never heard something like it before, so it gives this song a really cool defining feature. The first thing I think about when I think of this song is that pitched delay. Also I like how each snare has a different delay sound. Did you just repeat the snare hit quickly and consecutively in the piano roll, increasing each hit in pitch and decreasing in volume, or did you use some sort of fancy effect for it?

The atmosphere is interesting. You've got a really spaced out and trippy atmosphere (intently abiding to your prediction of making more spacey songs) and that sidechained pad really gave the song's atmosphere a nice touch. Awesome sounds like the ones at around 2:08 don't fail to help out in that department either.

Mixing-wise, as usual, no complaints. You've got a very spaced-out mix. I occasionally hear the punchy drums, other times the bass slides and other times the high-passed bells/pads, but never do I actually hear the whole mix being filled with a lot of depth in one go.

Now usually the nitpicky depth-lover inside of me would be screaming for me to complain about this, but I actually think that the fact that you left the mix so empty really did wonders for the song. First off, it made everything sound incredibly crisp and clear, and secondly it made me appreciate each individual sound and melody all the more. Even the very quiet subtle details stood out.

The drums are pretty good. They don't seem to be as intricate as the rest of the track (especially at around 1:06-ish) but they do their job well and your drum sounds are excellent. Loving that kick, and the snare sounds cool too, albeit a little dry. All in all, the drums didn't do anything revolutionary (other than the pitched delay of course) but they fit well.

Now for my largest problem with this track - it starts to get a bit disinteresting to listen to. I think you focused a little too much on the sounds and not enough on adding melodic leitmotifs and other melodies. The melody that plays on the bells towards the end is fantastic and I would've loved to have heard more of it playing.

Transition-wise, I can't complain. My favourite transition would be without a doubt the transition at 2:13. I love how the song took a breather and then all of a sudden a few sound effects kicked in and this badass synth solo was introduced. Regarding the intro and ending, they were both great. Progression from the beginning was nailed and the approach in the outro towards the final ending note was equally as good.

No character-limit-reaching this time. Oh well! Overall this is a seriously cool track. Everything from the bass slides to the pitched delay to the transitions to the sounds.... are all sublime. The reason I have given you a 9 (yes, 9/10, not 4.5/5) is because without much melodies and with a spacey mix like what you've got now it does end up sounding a bit bland during about the middle of the track. Other than that, I love it. Brilliant work.
9/10
4/5

I just used a regular old snare sample with three or four sends i think - reverb, pitched delay (goes up 7 semitones each beat), reverse delay and then maybe something else as well. Ended up sounding really cool, and I agree it might sound comically unusual at first.

For the mixing stuff, yeah I wanted to focus on sound design and especially bringing out a really hi-fi and defined sound in the higher frequencies and that won't happen if I add a lot of pads and stuff to fill the mix. On another note, there's an actual noticeable difference between 320kbps and lossless versions of this song which is pretty cool haha

Now that I listen to 1:06 it sounds kinda banal with the simple drum beat now that you've pointed it out. :(

The disinterestingness bit is indeed fair criticism, in fact I ONLY focused on the sounds, the melodies are just there to not make it sound TOO much like the joint effort of a carpenter and a modern art student

I love that you like the 2:13 bit, I was really proud of that one when I made it dunno why.